She's packing her box and going off."
Then, as they went back into the linen-room, Valentine settled pecuniary
matters and added five francs for this new service. But a final
difficulty arose. La Couteau could not come back to fetch La Catiche's
child in the evening, and what was she to do with it during the rest of
the day? "Well, no matter," she said at last, "I'll take it; I'll deposit
it at the office, before I go my round. They'll give it a bottle there,
and it'll have to grow accustomed to the bottle now, won't it?"
"Of course," the mother quietly replied.
Then, as La Couteau, on the point of leaving, after all sorts of bows and
thanks, turned round to take the little one, she made a gesture of
hesitation on seeing the two children lying side by side on the blanket.
"The devil!" she murmured; "I mustn't make a mistake."
This seemed amusing, and enlivened the others. Celeste fairly exploded,
and even La Catiche grinned broadly; while La Couteau caught up the child
with her long claw-like hands and carried it away. Yet another gone, to
be carted away yonder in one of those ever-recurring _razzias_ which
consigned the little babes to massacre!
Mathieu alone had not laughed.
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